State Dept's IIP Bureau Looking for Freelance Writers

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I lifted this from the Statement of Work (SOW) posted at FedBiz. May be a good opportunity for writers in the FS looking for work; pays $1.00/word. The announcement says they anticipate awarding up to 2 new Blanket Purchase Agreements for individuals who would provide written material for the America.gov web site. "We will establish one-year BPAs with the option to extend up to four additional years. The BPA does not constitute a guarantee of work. Writing assignments are made on an as-needed basis and many factors are taken into account when choosing a contract writer for a particular job including subject matter expertise, location and ability to complete the work within a given deadline." Read more here. 

Read the SOW below:

The United States Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) periodically requires freelance writers to provide articles for IIP's websites. Each assignment will be assigned on an as-needed basis as determined by authorized IIP staff.

Writers will be responsible for:

-- Writing articles for IIP products, which include, but may not be limited to, material for use in websites, America.gov e-mail delivery to posts, and for other IIP print and electronic products as they are developed. In most cases, assignments will be written in a style that is appealing to international readers in positions of influence. Such articles may be translated into other languages and reprinted in English or other languages in foreign newspapers without additional compensation.

-- Conducting background research for the articles, which could include interviews, archive searches, attendance at hearings, and similar activities. All stages of work: Submitting drafts, complete text, editorial changes, etc., should be completed by specific deadlines, as agreed with the assignments editor.

-- Submitting final written products (including edits) to IIP for final review.

-- Submitting a complete invoice to Tracey Newman, IIP/G front office. Each invoice will include an invoice number, invoice date, vendor's name, address, social security number, detailed account of product, and any supporting documentation.

Assignments:

The IIP Current Issues team will select the assignments and subject matter. Topics may include but are not limited to economics, trade, foreign policy, international security, U.S. politics, arts, technology, education, sports, human rights, press freedom, environment, health and space exploration. At the time of the assignment, the authorized IIP employee, in most cases one of the Current Issues division chiefs, will determine the "routine" or "non-routine" nature of the assignment for payment purposes before the assignment is assigned. If the terms are not discussed with the writer in the beginning of the assignment, it will be assumed that assignment is "routine." IIP will review and edit (or ask writer to edit) the documents as required, and evaluate the completed work for payment.

Routine Assignments
Payments will be made at the rate of $1.00 per word for completed and edited articles or a negotiated rate to be agreed upon at the beginning of each assignment. The rate may be increased at the discretion of the assigning editor based on determination of how much extra work the assignment may entail.

The fee per word includes routine information gathering or research activities such as telephone calls, interviews and attending speaking or other appearances by individuals discussing topics being covered or written about through an assignment based on this BPA.

Payment for work assignments that result in substantial work towards production of products assigned but unable to be completed or used is also contemplated. A "kill fee" of $250 will be paid to writers unable to complete the assignment as long as both parties – the writer and the IIP representative – agree that further work would not be productive in producing the desired end product and that substantial work was performed by the writer.

Non-Routine Assignments
This agreement also contemplates additional payment for any non-routine activities such as international calls or other extraordinary expenses negotiated between IIP and the writer before they are incurred. Such requests for payment for these non-routine activities will be detailed in the invoice and supporting documentation attached.

Rights:

All work which may be produced hereunder is considered to be a work for hire and, as such, the Government shall have unlimited rights to use, disclose, reproduce, prepare derivate works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, in any manner and for any purpose, and to have or permit others to do so.

Writers must register and maintain registry with the Central Contractors Registry (CCR) at: http://www.ccr.gov/. To do that, the writer will have to get a DUNS number from www.dnb.com and a Trading Partner Identification Number (TPIN) from the appropriate website: https://www.bpn.gov/ccr email/

I did some of the legwork for you.

For CCR registration go to http://www.ccr.gov/. But first, you need to get a DUNS number from www.dnb.com or http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

Click here to request your D-U-N-S Number via the Web.

Click here to request your D-U-N-S Number by phone, (for U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands Only). Call 1-866705-5711 to request a number by phone.

The process to request a D-U-N-S® Number by telephone takes between 5 and 10 minutes. You will need to provide the following information:
·    Legal Name
·    Tradestyle, Doing Business As (DBA), or other name by which your organization is commonly recognized
·    Physical Address, City, State and Zip Code
·    Mailing Address (if separate)
·    Telephone Number
·    Contact Name
·    SIC Code (Line of Business)
·    Number of Employees at your location
·    Headquarters name and address (if there is a reporting relationship to a parent corporate entity)
·    Is this a home-based business?

If you're a freelance writer, you can say you are the business owner and use your name as your legal business name. If you don't know your SIC code, the person assisting you by phone can look it up for you (he/she can put in the codes for formal writing or creative writing or both). If you're a veteran or a minority, make sure you mention that, too. 

Your DUNS number will be available within 24-48 hours.  Once you have that, you can then do the registration at Central Contractors Registry (CCR). Two more things:


Your Trading Partner Identification Number (TPIN): Once you have completed registration, CCR will assign your Trading Partner Identification Number (TPIN). Protect your TPIN as you would a password.

Staying current: Once you’re registered in CCR, review your profile at least once a year, and be sure to enter changes of company address or contact data. You’ll need your TPIN and DUNS to do that.

Good luck!